


The Marvelous Misadventures of Rabbit and the Blue Meanie

by QwahaXahn



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, BAMF Nebula (Marvel), During Canon, During the Blip, Heavy Angst, Hurt Nebula (Marvel), Nebula Angst (Marvel), Nebula Feels (Marvel), Nebula Has Issues (Marvel), Nebula Needs a Hug (Marvel), Nebula-centric (Marvel), POV Nebula (Marvel), Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Pre-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Rocket Raccoon-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:14:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24853642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QwahaXahn/pseuds/QwahaXahn
Summary: Several months ago, the Avengers fought Thanos... and lost. Half of all life in the universe disappeared forever. In the middle of the five year gap in Avengers: Endgame, the only remaining members of the Guardians of the Galaxy found some degree of solace in one another.Also known as: Nebula and Rocket deal with trauma and abandonment.Right now, this is just a single snapshot—but I might continue in the future if there's interest in seeing more. I love these two characters and the blip is such an interesting time in their lives to explore.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 16





	The Marvelous Misadventures of Rabbit and the Blue Meanie

_Nebula_

This planet made her uncomfortable.

Years of spacefaring and conquest had taken her across much of the known universe. She’d seen hot planets and cold planets, upside-down stars and inside-out moons. Most of them she’d hated. One or two... she’d wanted to stay. Even with so much experience, never before had a planet made her feel this way. And yet she stayed. Where else could she go?

She still woke up in the night, sometimes, with one hand pressed to the cold metal around her eye.

_“Perhaps I treated you too harshly.”_

On nights like tonight, she could tell any attempt at rest would be useless. Instead, she sat silently on her bed. She knew she could use this time for more than aimless thinking, but she didn’t know what to do instead. When she had free time in the past, her first instinct had always been combat training—but that had been because of her father and sister. She’d worked herself to the bone so that she might earn some tiny glimpse of favor from either one.

Again, she touched the cybernetics just below her left eye.

Now only she remained.

Well, not _only_ , she reminded herself. The talking fox, too. She and the beast were the Guardians of the Galaxy, now. She’d never cared much for the creature, but at least he was predictable. Familiar. He’d declined the offer of a bed in the main complex, choosing instead to sleep among his twigs in Quill’s old vessel.

The humans who gave them a home... She didn’t know what to feel about them. She wanted to spend time with the technician, but apparently human biology lacked the resilience of a cyborg. He’d needed constant medical care in the two months following their initial arrival on Earth and she saw little of him. She doubted he would tolerate her presence now that they were no longer trapped together. And yet, every so often, she took out the small triangular lump of metal he’d made and practiced his strange game.

As for the others, she knew even less of them. The human captain offered words of encouragement, but they rang hollow even from him. The assassin made overtures of friendship, but finally stopped after Nebula persistently avoided her for a week. The man who’d killed her father disappeared shortly after their failed mission, as did the warrior who’d retrieved her and the technician from deep space. She respected the Kree captain, despite her prior experience with others of the species. Ronan had been blinded by rage and madness. It did not escape her notice that, until recently, she had been much the same.

And yet, all those feelings had been petty in the end.

——

“Oh, good,” Rocket said as she entered the dining quarters. “You’re awake.”

She could never quite tell if the creature was speaking sincerely or imitating Quill’s sarcasm. Perhaps a touch of both. Regardless, she ignored the words and went straight for the cupboards. As she dug through their contents, another voice spoke.

“Steve and I were talking,” the assassin said, “and we’ve decided to start reaching out to other planets. We’ve been working hard to help Earth recover, but who knows what’s going on out there?” she gestured toward the floor-to-ceiling windows. “We don’t get much information from Captain Marvel, and even she’s only one person.”

Nebula seized one of the cardboard containers and held it over her bowl. As she tore a hole in the bottom to retrieve the grain-based meal within, Rocket interrupted the woman’s diatribe.

“They want us to go back out there.”

Nebula froze. A small hill of cereal slowly accumulated on the porcelain.

The assassin leaned forward. “A new mission might be good for—”

“When?” Nebula interrupted.

“I... within the week,” she replied. “You’d go to Xandar first, to coordinate with these space police you’ve mentioned. The Nova Corps.”

Rocket chuckled, but the sound had a harsh edge to it. “We’re not exactly their favorite friends. Pretty sure baldy’s still got an arrest warrant on file.”

The fox was correct. Technically, the Nova officers were mandated to detain her on sight, using any force necessary. She doubted they could muster the manpower to truly threaten her, but she didn’t like the idea of confronting them. As she prepared to turn the woman down, she thought about the past two months. She imagined another month here, in these sterile white rooms. Another year. A decade, still trapped on this empty planet.

“I accept,” she spat suddenly. “I will gather my possessions.”

As she strode out of the room, shoveling a handful of dry grain flakes into her mouth, she overheard one final exchange between the duo.

“I didn’t expect her to say yes.”

“Lady, nobody wants to stay here that long. I’m surprised she didn’t just steal a ship and disappear.”

She’d considered that, but the idea had little appeal. Where else could she go?

_Rocket_

Preparing the _Benatar_ took only a couple of days. The Avengers had plenty of rations to spare, so even though they would be landing on Xandar before long, Rocket loaded her up. He hated to admit it, but he’d developed a taste for human cuisine. Especially noodles.

“Always good to have a stockpile,” he commented to Baldy when she walked in and saw the hold full to bursting with Chinese food.

Nebula nodded. “Yes.”

As she headed for the cockpit, Rocket turned his attention away from the electronics at his feet and watched her. The Luphomoid had never been easy to read, but these days she hardly reacted to anything at all. Still, Rocket wasn’t stupid. He knew she was in pain, just like the rest of them. Her seething anger, the fire he’d seen in her black eyes every time she attacked him and the Guardians... it was all gone now. Her gaze was empty. Hollow.

“I guess we’re all full of shit these days, eh Groot?” Rocket mumbled as he picked up his wrench and got back to work.

All he heard in reply was the hum of the starship.

Four days after Natasha had suggested the trip, the Guardians of the Galaxy were ready to go. Slate-grey clouds covered the sky, casting the morning in a dull grey tone.

 _Gonna rain later_ , Rocket thought. _Not that we’ll be here to see it_.

Nobody joined them on the launchpad—all the other residents of the compound were on assignment out in the universe.

Rocket sat in his pilot’s chair, and Nebula took Quill’s old seat. They ran wordlessly through the pre-flight checklist, and then...

Liftoff.

As they pushed through the cloud cover and accelerated into the upper atmosphere, neither one looked back.


End file.
